no, no, no, no, noâ¦.wire tv stuff through a wall in that space and mount the TV on a wall there. That way you can watch TV at eye level, and it's a great spot for a television.

Yeah, just make it shallower and mount the TV in there.

Oh phewf. Thank you, Palimpsest.

in fact, I'd put a swing door on hinges there with a recessed handle and mount the tv on that. That way you can get in there easily to deal with electrical wires, cables, etc.

You could build shelves underneath, too.

Our tv is too big to fit in there :(

Is there any structural reason for it being there at all? I'd be greatly tempted to remove it and patch and paint the drywall, then you'd have plenty of room for a TV cabinet against that angled wall behind it.

I would remove it since it is not structural. Of course, you could always turn it into a kids' playhouse. ðÂÂÂ

What is in there now - Are those electrical and cable wires and such? Is the fireplace a wood burning or gas?? Do you have pets or kids???

I like the space, I would put firewood in there, a basket of pine cones, some rustic metal shelves for the wood and fire making tools, and maybe some books. If the stove is gas, I would use it as a storage place for things like blankets, pillows, and books, etc.

Am I missing a picture?

That cutout structure is the one thing that makes that room weird and badly proportioned: it totally competes with the fireplace. It looks like the back wall has an angle which will likely have to remain, but losing that extra stuff in front of it, and extending the mantle all the say to the left to intersect what remains, will make the room look much better, bigger, and aesthetically pleasing. Hopefully, the floor extends under the structure that most of us are arguing should be dispensed with, or you have some extra pieces that can be patched in.

Even if your tv fit, it's too low for one. I like kudzus suggestions.

Put up a gate to jail the kids, pets, and hubby when they misbehave! Just kidding of course...

Can you cut back those walls enough or altogether to do a built-in large enough for the tv? Or you could just cut those walls off and get a regular tv stand and put it on an angle there to jive with the angled back wall?

Get out the sledgehammer ..... and re-do the whole thing .....

really ......

Litter box?

:P

Big basket of decorative firewood?

I would get rid of it. It takes the focus away from the fireplace.

"That cutout structure is the one thing that makes that room weird and badly proportioned: it totally competes with the fireplace."

I agree with this statement, but if there is going to be a giant TV over the fireplace, how are you any better off? Two big black boxes next to each other vs. two big boxes on top of each other.

I would rip it all out, patch the floors and extend the drywall mantle to the left.
If you can't go that route, I would turn it into display shelving and put the TV on the wall opposite the window. That is if you can't buy a smaller TV for the niche :-)

It would be so uncomfortable / aesthetically displeasing to have a TV above that fireplace!

I'm so sick of my three-weeks going on five and one half months living room refurbishment/disaster that if I had a space like that I'd simply hang a curtain over the opening and let the neighbors' kids make a fort in it. Sam (my #2 dog) would love to sleep in there. He likes "caves."

I like the idea of a metal gate to jail the kids, pets, and hubby too! LOL

Simple. Have a carpenter make two cabinet style doors, or the shutter-like doors and add shelving inside for storage.

I am soooo glad to hear other's thought it should be TOTALLY removed. If you dry wall over the hole--well all that wasted space would be a REAL loss. IMHO. I would want shelves and I would mount the TV above that spot--not over the Fireplace. Easy solution to your TV dilemma is get a smaller TV--it sounds like you have a TV that would better fit a basement man cave. "Decor" space is a pleasant idea--if you don't need shelving, but again seems like a waste of a lot of useful space. The fort/cage/litter box are all GREAT ideas--if the hole were placed in the back of the room not front and "center". The hole was obviously made for the older console type TV's. This hole will never accommodate today's flat screen TV's.